Stargazing
by Nekare
Summary: a few weeks after the return from Soul Society, a guilty Rukia awakens to an empty bedroom. everything is over, but are things ok?...no, they aren't. but they will be. [IxR] one-shot


Well, here I am with my first Bleach fanfiction, and with a shiny new account

Please be gentle, as English isn't my native language and this isn't beta-ed, so there must be a lot of grammatical errors and wrongly used idioms.

**Disclaimer: **sadly, I'm nut Kubo – sama, so no, Bleach isn't mine. (Not for lack of trying, though…)

**Stargazing**

**By: Nekare**

She had found him only by chance. The night was fresh and cool, slightly orange-scented in the summer's end; a slow breeze drifting through the empty streets. The moon was full, it's light creating eerie shadows in the quiet town.

Rukia had awoken to an empty bedroom, startled by the ruffle of the curtains. She had never been a heavy sleeper, but ever since they had returned from Soul Society, she seemed even more aware of her surroundings, and even if she wouldn't admit it; more aware of _him,_ more aware of his every move and breathe he took.

She just couldn't help it, after being worried so much for him while being in prison, and then on their escape, it had became a habit of hers to reassure herself he was there, sound and safe, and even more importantly that he was there with _her_, that he wouldn't leave her.

After a few days after their return he had laughed about the worried looks she cast his way, saying half angry, half amused that hadn't he proved her enough that he would stick with her? He had then proceeded to scold her about her lack of faith in him and how utterly unthankful she was. His tone had been light, but his eyes had said another thing; showing her just how much he intended to keep his word and stay with her.

The irony wasn't lost on Rukia, that she was terrified of him leaving, when technically, he just _couldn't, _as _she_ was the one living on _his_ closet. Still, his words had been almost enough to ease her fears. She still teased him merciless everytime she changed his bandages, using their usual bickering to hide the tears that threatened to fall everytime she saw the wounds he had gotten on his search for her. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful of his rescue, she really was, it was more that she felt guilty of being the indirect cause for them.

After all, he had almost died. And she just _couldn't_ have another death on her hands.

Especially his.

So when she awoke that night, and found no one in the room but Kon – who had tried to get into the closet with her, but had ended up punched and tossed onto the wall, at the foot of which he was sleeping noisily – she couldn't help but worry. In his own weird way, he had promised to stay with her, and she knew him enough to know he wouldn't back out on his words; so where was he?

Her heart fluttering with fear, even when she was willing it to stop it's quick pace; she stepped down of the closet. Since the day they had returned she hadn't closed the closet door at nights, not being able to stand the solitude and claustrophobia the small space gave her.

She knew the door was a risky option, Ichigo's family still blissfully unaware of her presence, so she went for the window, the moonlight showing her the way through the darkness. She searched for his familiar figure in the streets, hair fluttering with the breeze as she poked her head trough the window; eyes open wide and alert for any sign of him.

She heard a familiar sigh above her, and with a shaky sigh of her own she let relieve wash over her. The rooftop. The jerk was on the rooftop.

She slowly started climbing the pole that she had used not so long ago to get to his window every day after school. She did it carefully, knowing that she wouldn't see the end of it if she tripped and all of his efforts to rescue her were wasted away.

Ichigo was only a few feet away of the edge, lying down and staring at the stars, arms lazily behind his head in a makeshift pillow. He hadn't acknowledged her yet, but she knew he knew she was there. She sat beside him, glancing up too.

"So, don't you like your bed anymore? 'cause I can sleep in there from now on, you know?" she tried to keep her tone playful, her racing heart still jumping erratically.

"che. You wish. _You_ were the one that crashed violently into my life, _you_ get to sleep on the closet." Another pang of guilt shot to her gut. She knew it was her own fault that he had ended up almost dead, but she usually tried to forget that fact, forget about the fact that if she hadn't 'crashed' into his world – as he so tactfully said it – he would still have a perfectly happy and normal life. Or at least as normal as it could get to one Kurosaki Ichigo.

She lay down next to him. She knew he didn't regret her coming into his life, he had told her so on numerous occasions, but that didn't make it any easier. "Why are you up here?" it was more a whisper that anything else, the night calling for quietness.

He unconsciously drew her closer, putting his arm beneath her head so she could lie on his shoulder. "I couldn't sleep. The dreams…" ever since their return he had been plagued by dreams, the blood spilt way too much for his young mind to take. While on Soul Society he had been strong, taking everything on with no fear in his eyes, but it had taken its toll, and now he could barely sleep without seeing the gory images repeating in his mind. Even more guilt for Rukia to carry.

"sorry." She said lamely, still at loss of words about that subject.

"I told you, stop apologizing. It was _my_ decision. You didn't drag me to go rescue your sorry ass." As usual, his rude tone served its purpose of dispersing her sadness for fleeting anger, but feeling way too relaxed to start a fight, Rukia decided to let it pass.

"I was scared." She hadn't meant to tell him, but the words left her lips before she could think about them.

He turned his head to hers, his ever present scowl getting even deeper. "why?" he sounded more worried that he had intended to, his eyes boring into hers.

She couldn't help but feel fuzzy inside at the thought of him worried about her. "I woke up, and I couldn't find you, and I…" she tried to shrug it off, turning her gaze from him and turning to the ghostly moon hovering above them. "well…"

He chuckled beside her. She glared angrily at him, daring him to mock again of her feelings. He smiled a little, seeing a glimpse of the usual 'you dare laugh at me and I'll kill you painfully' Rukia. She had passed the last weeks immersed in a daze, and it was good to see her almost back to normal. "Idiot…" he said softly, "didn't I tell you I wouldn't leave?"

She wouldn't admit defeat so easily. "Maybe…"

"Then believe it. I'm not going anywhere." He heard her sigh, a small smile grazing her features. "Understood?" he couldn't resist going all macho on her once in a while, especially now that he was almost sure she wouldn't hit him.

She nudged him.

Well, one couldn't win them all.

After a long thick moment, she said weakly "understood."

All of the worries dispersed by the soft statement, Rukia allowed herself to relax with the sounds of the night, and the steady heartbeat of Ichigo. She ended up being lulled by it, the warmth of his body and his familiar scent blanketing her, and making her fall into a deep dreamless slumber, the best she'd had since the return from Soul Society.

Ichigo remained awake for a little while, gazing at the stars like he had used to with his mother so long ago; completely content in holding Rukia. Before he could contemplate going into his – their? – room, sleep claimed him, his past inability to rest properly forgotten for the moment.

The soft moonlight kept on shining on them all night, and they awoke in each others arms much after dawn, the chirping of the birds scaring the hell out of them and almost making them fall to the ground.

Needless to say, Ichigo kept on glaring at random birds for the rest of the day.


End file.
